Ethical Standards in Sport and Exercise Science Research: 2022 Update

For publication in the International Journal of Sports Medicine (IJSM), studies must have been conducted in accordance with recog­ nised ethical standards and national/international laws. At submis­ sion, authors are required to confirm that these standards and laws have been adhered to by reading this editorial. Authors who do not provide any information regarding ethical approval will have their manuscripts rejected before the peer­review process, without any option to resubmit. In the original 2009 IJSM editorial [1], we described the ethical considerations embedded into national/international laws and pro­ vided specific guidance on the ethical issues which commonly arise in Sports Medicine research. While the four basic principles of bio­ medical ethics are, arguably, constant and timeless [2], data col­ lection processes, research designs and settings etc. are not and may bring changes to ethical considerations. As a result, the arti­ cle has been updated five times, prior to 2022, in the areas: 2011 [3] recognition of the ethical principles of other profes­ sional associations and treaties for research involving human par­ ticipants, guidance on the use of Laboratory Animals, and on links between sample size and research ethics. 2014 [4] studies of doping agents, the use of animals where the research questions appeared focussed on the enhancement of athlet­ ic performance and sample size in the context of participant burden. 2016 [5] changes to the Declaration of Helsinki, the use of so­ cial media in research, feeding back incidental and pertinent find­ ings to participants, issues in studies involving young people, and key differences between full and pilot studies. 2018 [6] clarification of the use of gatekeepers for accessing participant’s personal data, informed consent, breaches of confi­ dentiality, use of person identifiable information, open access data and secondary analysis of data and the use of placebos and partic­ ipant deception. 2020 [7] further detail on informed consent/assent, secondary data analysis, pre­study risk analysis and study design and the ap­ plication of the Principle of Justice [8] (with particular regard to gen­ der imbalance in sampling). In this 2022 update we have added text on: ▪ Ethical considerations where the participant’s gender and/or sex is a parameter of interest ▪ The use of remote research methods (including electronic signatures consent and data retention). During the COVID 19 (SARS­CoV­2) pandemic many researchers employed (or changed to, in studies already underway) remote methods of data collection (virtual or on­line). This brought into particular focus the ethical issues involved ▪ The use of screening tools for eligibility ▪ Studies testing substances (ingested or non­ingested) and/or, devices or processes hypothesised to improve health and/or enhance performance, that may be harmful and/or risk censure if detected. Ethical Standards in Sport and Exercise Science Research: 2022 Update